On Nov. 06 Anita Cohen-Williams said:

>As I understood the point of the MCN-L list, it is to be a forum for MCN
>announcements and discussions pertinent to the organization. Opening it up to
>non-MCN members seems to defeat that purpose. If we didn't have MUSEUM-L, then
>I would agree that opening the list up to others would be in order, but since
>MUSEUM-L does exist, there is already a forum for museum-wide discussion.

I think that discussions pertinent to the organization might also be of
interest to others and an opportunity for others to gain more useful
information than might be available on Museum-L.  I am thinking for example
of the recent thread Software & Scanning.  In discussing software, it came
down to purchasing a canned program vs. building your own.  I would hope on
MCN-L some more definitive comments might be made, or questions asked.  I
also think it is probable that someone subscribing to MCN-L might not
subscribe to Museum-L.  MCN-L would become the forum for Museums and
computer related issues and information.

Finally, one still has a choice of subscribing or not subscribing.

Someone else said that a principle of the internet is the free flow of
discussion and ideas.  Perhaps naive, but a sentiment I believe worth
supporting.


Richard Shockley, Director
Ft. Hamilton, Whoop-Up Interpretive Centre
P.O. Box 1074, Lethbridge AB, Canada  T1J 4A2
403-329-0444
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